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Books Models Highlights Cars
of 98 |
Car of
the Month - November 98 |
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 A few Rolls-Royce Phantom II are quite unusual, because these are left hand drive whereas all the other motor cars produced at the English factory by Rolls-Royce are sporting right hand drive. The exceptions from the rule are to be found in chassis-series 'JS' and 'MS' - and a clear difference is an 'A' preceding the chassis numbers' letter combination, i.e. chassis-series 'AJS' and 'AMS'.
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In fact the 'A' does indicate these cars were intended for
export to America. Rolls-Royce was keen to show the flag once it had been realised that
Rolls-Royce of America's position was weak. The American company had not been able to find
the capital to retool the factory, hence never started production of the Phantom II.
Following Black Friday in October 1929 the situation worsened to become really desolate.
So the car shown here was produced in England in the from of chassis cum engine. Invoice
No. 1175 informs that coachwork should have been by Brewster to their Design No. 436, a
Town Car showing up in the catalogue as "St. Martin". Although the car had been
ordered in February 1930 it wasn't exported to the United States prior to September 1931,
no doubt this delay was caused to a certain degree by the world economic crisis. A
considerable period passed before the car was delivered to its first owner on 10th April
1934 and in the meantime a new decision had been made as regards the body. Brewster
erected a Town Car, but this body number B7356 was now to the pattern of
"Newport".
Those
decades which followed the unhurried production of the car repeatedly included lengthy
periods, when it was stored as a sort of "Sleeping Beauty". - The last one began
during the Eighties, when the Phantom II became part of a collection in Germany and rarely
ever has been driven at all.